5 Spring Detox Tips
The weather is improving, and summer is approaching. Spring is a great time to blow off some cobwebs and focus on cleaning your body. This means supporting your lymphatic system. A poorly functioning lymphatic system is associated with the development of chronic disease.
What is your Lymphatic System?
Your lymphatic system is similar to the drains in your home. What adverse effects happen when there is a clog in any of the drains? An unpleasant odour arises, water too quickly fills the sink basin, the toilet doesn’t flush, particles such as food, hair, and bacteria become stagnant in the drain, and eventually, the source of the problem is unclogged and water and other substances it carries flow freely through the pipes once again.
Just like your pipes, your lymphatic system can become congested and lead to adverse health reactions including soreness of breast, fatigue, eczema, and chronic skin problems, cold limbs, bloating, headaches, body rigidity, and weakened immunity.
1. Exercise Regularly
Exercising daily may be one of the easiest and most effective ways to boost the health of your lymphatic system. Whether you are lifting weights at the gym, dancing around your home with your kids, or going for a jog with your dog you are encouraging the health of your lymphatic system and improving your immune function.
Increasing the oxygen supply to tissue facilitates a healthy immune response and may prevent cancer. Exercise stimulates blood circulation and the transportation of oxygen to tissues and cells. The lack of exercise leads to an accumulation of toxins in muscles.
Another excellent way to purify the lymphatic system is through the practice of rebounding. Rebounding is a low impact exercise that involves jumping on a mini-trampoline. Rebounding promotes the flow of lymph through the body and is believed to increase the drainage of toxins from organs and muscle tissue.
2. Use Stress Reduction Techniques
Stress reduction techniques encourage the flow of lymph through your body. Some of these techniques may involve the following:
Yoga
Pilates
Deep breathing exercises
Stretching
Maintain Good Posture
You may have already heard that these techniques are good strategies to relieve anxiety and de-stress, but why do they support the health of your immune system? These practices relieve congestion and stimulate the circulation and detoxification of lymph through the body.
When lymph becomes stagnant in extremities, a build-up of pathogenic substances, inflammatory markers, and cellular debris is able to wreak havoc on the immune response leading to a decline in health.
3. Eat an Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Consuming a diet of anti-inflammatory foods, specifically raw fruits and vegetables helps to hydrate the body and promote an alkaline environment. Pathogens cannot flourish in an alkaline environment and the consumption of fresh and healthy foods expedites the removal of pathogens which may be stagnant in your lymph fluid.
Some of the best foods which detoxify the lymphatic system are red fruits and vegetables. These include:
Pomegranates
Cranberries
Beets
Grapes
Cherries
Raspberries
These foods boost lymphatic function and help thin bile which is a major component to the regulation of the immune response in the gut. Consuming a diet rich in omega-3s is also critical to fighting inflammation and fighting infectious agents from weakening the immune system.
Especially as you age, consuming a healthy diet rich in antioxidants and healthy fats is required for moderating immune response. Lymphatic vessels contained in the intestines are easily susceptible to dysfunction as a result of an unhealthy diet.
4. Boost your Hydration
Hydration is key to the proper health and function of your lymphatic system as it is primarily made up of about 95% water. Sipping on lemon water is a great detoxification strategy because it not only hydrates your body but it also encourages an alkaline environment. Drinking purified water is important in order to avoid adding more contaminants into our bodies needed for removal.
5. Get a Massage
Studies have shown that stress reduction exercises, especially massage, improve immune function. Massage is a great lymphatic decongestive therapy that can be coupled with essential oils following a cleansing Epsom salt bath to improve your lymphatic system.